Daily Briefing: Narayan Rane granted bail in ‘slap Uddhav’ remark case; Fresh signs of revolt against Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

Just over a month after the Congress high command made Navjot Singh Sidhu the Punjab chief touting it as a formula to keep the peace in the state unit, a fresh revolt is in the works.

Good morning, 

The Big Story 

Union Minister and BJP Rajya Sabha member Narayan Rane was released on bail late last night, nearly nine hours after he was arrested for threatening to “slap” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The remark led to widespread protests by Shiv Sena supporters and at least five FIRs were filed against Rane. 

The Rane-Sena showdown has undoubtedly raised the stakes for next February’s civic body polls in Mumbai. Besides Mumbai, elections for 9 municipal corporations and 25 Zilla Parishads are due early next year. Parties are calling these polls “mini-assembly” elections.  

Only in the Express 

 Hawa Alam Nooristani, the first woman to head the Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan, is in hiding. Fearing Taliban retribution for their role in conducting elections in the country, all eight election commissioners who flew to Beirut for a conference earlier in August decided to change their travel plans.

From the Front Page 

Even after the appointment of Navjot Singh Sidhu as its Punjab chief to keep peace in the state unit, there are fresh signs of revolt against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. At least four ministers who attended a meeting of 34 Congress MLAs and other party workers claimed a demand has been raised to replace Amarinder.

A 24-year-old woman who set herself on fire along with a friend outside the Supreme Court last week succumbed to burn injuries. The woman had lodged a rape case against BSP MP Atul Rai, and alleged that senior IPS officers and a judge from Uttar Pradesh were “part of a nexus”.

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Mohammad Abbas Sheikh, killed in Srinagar last week, was among the 10 most wanted militant commanders in the valley. One of J&K’s oldest militants, who joined their ranks in 1996 and was the chief of The Resistance Front (TRF) since last year, Sheikh had kept the security forces on their toes due to his ability to maintain a low profile, melt away into crowds and motivate young men to join militancy. 

India’s first mRNA vaccine against coronavirus – developed by Pune-based Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd – has been found to be safe and has been given the go-ahead from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to move into Phase II and III of clinical trials. The study will be conducted across approximately 10-15 sites in Phase II and 22-27 sites in Phase III. The company plans to enrol a total of 4,400 participants for the remaining phases of clinical trials. 

Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvIT) in key sectors such as railways and power will be a key financing mechanism as the government kick-starts its ambitious plan to monetise brownfield assets. To begin with, a Rs 5,000 crore National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) InvIT issue is expected to set the ball rolling.

The UP government has withdrawn 77 cases related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots without giving any reason, as per a report filed in the Supreme Court. These “may be examined by the High Court by exercising revisional jurisdiction”, the report recommended. The recommendations were part of a report on data relating to pending cases against legislators.

And Finally 

India watched with pride as shot putter and flag-bearer Tek Chand led India’s contingent during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympics. But there was one glaring anomaly: none of the eight others walking behind him were athletes. India’s campaign got off to a slightly shaky start after the Games’ strict Covid protocol forced almost half-a-dozen Indians, including flag-bearer and Rio Games gold medalist Mariyappan Thangavelu, into quarantine.

Delhi Confidential: Years after it was set up, the Supreme Court is making renewed efforts to get its in-house think-tank ‘Centre for Research and Planning’, the brain child of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, up and running. CRP saw the exit of its handpicked team headed by Prof Mohan Gopal just months after it was set up. 

In today’s episode of ‘3 Things’, we talk about the demand for a caste census by political parties from Bihar. We also discuss the attack on a bangle-seller in Indore. Finally, we go over the Narayan Rane row.

Until tomorrow, 

Leela Prasad G and Rahel Philipose

 

 

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